Falling Fast and Falling Free
by LizzieCB13
Summary: Band/College AU: Cas works on the doors of his friend's bar to earn extra cash for college. The last thing he imagined was falling for the front man of a performing rock band. Rated teen but there is some strong language it may become mature. Destiel. SamxJess.


Chapter 1

Drunken people bustled past Cas, making it insanely difficult to remain sitting on his stool placed near the door. The cold breeze that seeped in through the open door chilled his very bones. He pulled his jacket tighter around him as if the thin material would help soothe the freezing bite. He hated covering Saturday nights; he wouldn't have been here tonight if it hadn't been for Balthazar calling him earlier begging for the help. ("Please Cas, Rachel bailed and now I've got no one to man the doors. You have to help. It's not like you've got anything else planned for tonight.")

A particularly rowdy group stumbled into the bar. It was obvious they were part of some fraternity; their outfits were a dead giveaway and their puffy, 1980's reject hairstyles only confirmed his suspicions. He thought he recognised a few members of the group from around campus but he wasn't certain. He never really paid any attention to those he wasn't obliged to socialize with. The group were like a small army of identical men, all of them too loud and extremely drunk, the perfect equation for trouble in a bar. Cas bit his tongue as he watched them squeeze into the already overly crowded bar. As he'd expected, the fraternity group generally ignored him, only showing any signs of recognition when he shone a torch into their faces to check that they weren't underage. He already knew that it was unlikely there were any minors among them, but he felt slight amusement when he near blinded the annoying, obnoxious drunks.

This often led to obscene comments or gestures directed his way, but what did he care. The insults were always the same, slurred "Prick" or the occasional "Fuck you!" The annoyance only amused him further. It was the only highlight of working the weekend shift.

Cas preferred the week nights when the regulars would drop by for a couple of drinks after the draining days they'd experienced. He knew all their names and they knew his. During the week it never felt like working, more greeting acquaintances as they came in to unwind. The highlight of his usual shift were the warm, familiar smiles he received when telling a new joke he'd heard or sharing an amusing moment from his day. Not to mention the fact Cas always got off work a good two hours earlier on a weeknight due to the smaller crowds. During the week, Murphy's was a completely different venue. Nowhere near as loud, crowded and sticky as it was on Friday and Saturday nights.

It's not that Murphy's wasn't a popular place all week long, it was. It's just that the weekday crowd were more tolerable than the flurry of drunken college kids that flock there every weekend. Considering it was one of the only bars near campus it wasn't surprising it was so popular, and the cheap drinks weren't a turn-off either. That's why Cas never worked weekends, it was bad enough dealing with the people at college in classes. He depended on weekends to recover from the idiotic encounters he faced on a daily basis.

Tonight saw the bar being more crowded than usual. Balthazar had mentioned something about a band he'd booked. Apparently the upcoming band had been taking the country by storm with their "fresh, new style of rock." Cas had never heard of them, although Balthazar joked that Cas wasn't aware of anything that had occurred after the millennium.

"Have I missed anything?" Cas felt two hands land on either shoulder.

Cas turned his head to see Anna's head rested on his left shoulder atop of her hand. Her intimacy didn't surprise him in the slightest, it was actually necessary to have a conversation at Murphy's. He shook his head gently. "Nothing so far. You sure Balthazar booked them for the tonight?" He looked beyond the increasingly impatient crowd to see the small, empty stage with only the arrangement of instruments. There was a drum set in the middle near the back of the stage and two guitars and a bass placed around the stage with a mic at the front, next to one of the guitars.

The stage itself was stupidly placed in Cas' opinion. It's was far from the bar and squeezed into the corner as if it had been a last minute addition, which considering the previous owners was more than likely. The lousy set out had never proved to be a problem before. Live performers were common at Murphy's but they were never well known and a large turnout was never anticipated, tonight being an exception.

"Yeah, they're probably just running late. They've come all the way from their last gig in Nebraska." Anna's voice was giddy with excitement and alcohol, floating to Cas' ears like a feather in a storm.

"Fascinating." Cas muttered. He couldn't care less where this band had come from, they were late and that stopped Cas from going home.

"Smile for once, I hear they're really good. Plus I hear the lead singer is gorgeous." Anna nudged Cas, causing a reluctant smile to appear. "There you go. I knew you were capable of smiling."

"Yeah, well I definitely won't be if this damn band doesn't turn up soon. I'll freeze to death before the first song."

Anna wrapped her arms around Cas tighter when he said that. It did nothing to stop the mid-January air's chilling bite. "Cheer up, Cassie. Just think, if you do freeze to death you won't have to face class on Monday."

Cas smiled as Anna unwrapped her arms, still leaning close though. "Have you seen Balthazar tonight? I tried to catch him earlier but he was busy at the bar. Apparently he's short on staff." She said looking round. It was exceptionally busy tonight, Balthazar was probably rushed off his feet and loving it.

"Not since I first got here but that was a couple hours ago." Cas felt Anna's hair brush against his head as she nodded. "Anyway, I've been busy working since then myself."

Anna barked a laugh. "I'd hardly call this working Cas. All you do is sit here and shine that torch every once in a while."

"Hey I have to check for IDs sometimes too. And it's not my fault Balthazar won't let me behind the bar anymore." Cas said defensively.

Anna shrugged. "It kind of is; you did break a lot of glasses last time."

"Well, I don't see you helping out." Castiel countered. "Why aren't you? I thought you loved playing bar maid, hasn't Balthazar roped you into putting an apron on tonight."

"There's no way I'm working tonight. I'm making the most out of seeing Hunters Proxy live before their tickets cost a fortune. I heard they're going on tour next year, $45 for a standing ticket at the back." Anna had the talent of making anything sound like a well-guarded secret, as if she had discovered a huge conspiracy that ran deep. It was what made her such a wonderful aspiring journalist.

"Really? I've never heard of them." Cas said, staring at the empty stage again.

"I know, Balthazar told me. I sent you some links though. Haven't you checked your messages today?" Anna asked with an air of disbelieve. She was never without her phone and found it incomprehensible that everyone else did not spend every waking hour of on theirs like she did.

"No, I've been busy." Cas shrugged.

"Bull! What have you been so pre-occupied with that you couldn't check if your best friend had messaged you?" Anna's voice was growing louder, battling with the constant thumps of background music.

"Things." Cas knew his defence was terrible but Anna would easily see through any lie he came up with.

"Right." Anna painfully struggled not to roll her eyes. "I swear Cas, you're the most predictable person I know."

Cas shone her a smile, "I prefer reliable."

"Whatever." Anna pushed herself up straight using his shoulders for support. "I'm going to get another drink. D'you want one?"

"No thanks, I'm good. But hurry, you don't want to miss the act." He called after her. She'd already turned away before he'd even answered, she really did know him. "That's if this band ever turns up." Cas muttered to himself.

Another ten minutes passed- during this time Anna had returned with a drink in hand and draped herself over Cas' back again- when Balthazar jumped up on stage.

"Sorry for the wait but I assure you it was worth it." He spoke into the microphone in his presenter voice. Cas hated that voice. It was so fake and un-Balthazar. While Anna was talented at extracting the truth from people, Balthazar had the skill of feeding lies to them; both far too good at manipulating people for their own purposes. "Without further ado, I present to you Hunters Proxy." The crowd cheered and stomped and went insane before Balthazar had even finished introducing them.

Cas watched from the back of the room as four guys hopped up onto the stage. Cas only focussed on one of them though, the tall fair-haired guy that placed the central guitar over his head and stood in front of the microphone at the front. He placed a bottle of water on the floor beside the microphone stand and adjusted the stand to suit his height. "Hey there everyone thanks for coming out tonight. I'm Dean Winchester and we're Hunters Proxy" His voice was deep and husky, each word silencing the previously disorderly crowd. He spoke with a mischievous grin plastered on his face, creasing the skin around his impossibly bottle green eyes.

"I told you he was hot." Anna whispered into Cas' ear.

Cas didn't reply, he couldn't. He- like the rest of the crowd- was transfixed on the man who owned the stage. That didn't mean that he disagreed with Anna's comment though, he would even go so far to say that Dean Winchester was beautiful, possibly angelic, but instead he remained silent, leaning forward on his stool as he watched.

The performance made Cas understand the band's popularity. They were incredible and it was just so effortless, the way they had complete and utter control over the crowd, the way they handled their instruments with such grace and skill, Cas was taken aback. It felt impossibly intimate in a room full of people, as if Dean was singing directly to each and every one of them all at the same time; at one point Cas swore that he'd looked directly into his eyes, flashing him that irresistible grin. He gave up fighting the giddiness that caused his stomach to flip and his cheeks to burn immediately, he hadn't felt so immature in years. Dean didn't only captivate the crowd, he also kept them interested throughout the band's set. He invoked empathy when performing the slower, more emotional songs and within a few moments would have the entire room bouncing along to the upbeat tunes that Cas knew he would have stuck in his head for the rest of the week. It was like Dean leaked confidence, only occasionally running his hand through his sandy blonde hair during the transition between songs. This small indication of weakness just made him that much more endearing to an audience that already adored him.

If there was such a thing as a perfect showman, it would be Dean. The conversation with the crowd between songs flowed naturally and each song seemed to be better than the last; Cas was shocked when Dean announced the end of the show. Cas checked his watch, realising an entire hour had passed in what seemed like a few minutes.

The crowd sighed with the inevitable disappointment that came at the end of the show, but the sighing was soon replaced with cheering and whistling. Sweat glistened on the band members' brows by the end. Cas wasn't surprised by their state; they'd jumped and moved around the stage for the majority of the performance. Despite the sweat and fatigue, Dean still looked gorgeous. He did have the athletic, masculine build that would easily explain his stamina, but it wasn't accompanied with the obnoxious, pig-headed behaviour all the jocks at the college seemed to possess.

"Thanks, you've been a great crowd. Ash, Chuck, Benny and I will be at the bar to sell and sign CDs and T-shirts so stop and say hi before we go." The sincerity in his voice made the invitation seem directed to each individual in the crowd.

"D'you think I could get his number?" Anna asked. She hadn't said a word since commenting on how hot Dean was. An hour of Anna being silent was a very rare occurrence.

Cas shrugged, neither wanting to encourage nor discourage Anna's flirting. Internally he begged that she chose not to introduce herself to Dean so he could go over and flirt himself, but he knew he couldn't voice his objections out loud. She had always been a lot better at socialising than Cas and if there was someone that she set her eyes on, Cas didn't even bother introducing himself. He wouldn't have a chance.

"He was an incredible singer, huh? And cute? I told you he was cute." Anna asked.

"He was alright." Cas replied nonchalantly. He didn't want to show his peaked interest; it would only make Anna drag him over to introduce the two if she hadn't already decided on making Dean her next mistake. She always insisted that Cas needed to meet someone and yet always jumped in before he could get a chance.

"Damn it." She hissed. Cas looked at what she had been damning. Some girl Cas recognised from his biology class had already draped herself over Dean, whispering into his ear even though it was not necessary now that the music was now playing quietly in the background. She was running her fingers through Dean's hair, giggling at every single thing he said. Sure he seemed funny, but he couldn't be that funny.

Cas felt his own jealousy rise and coil in his throat, burning like a shot of vodka and leaving the exact same aftertaste.

"I should have gone over sooner." Anna sighed.

"Will you two stop pining over that guy? It's bad enough all my customers are drooling over him, I don't need my staff to act that way too." Cas jumped slightly when he heard Balthazar's voice from behind. He twisted in his stool to look at him, his face burning slightly from embarrassment.

"Technically, I'm not staff." Anna poked Balthazar's shoulder gently, grinning defiantly.

"Well, you are tonight." He said, thrusting an apron into her hands. "It's getting even busier and Hester just walked out on me."

Anna sighed but still fastened the apron around her waist. "You owe me." She said with a stern expression.

Balthazar laughed, "Yeah, yeah, just get behind the bar and stop distracting poor Cassie."

"Trust me; I'm not the one distracting him." She shoved Cas' head lightly as she walked off, laughing as she did so. Cas fixed his hair and muttered in irritation, _maybe I am just too predictable._

"As long as you keep an eye on the door, you can fantasise about anyone you like." Cas' cheeks burned again at Balthazar's words. Balthazar chuckled at the reaction he'd caused; that was something he did not like about Balthazar, that and how his too smooth British accent often sounded slightly patronizing even when he wasn't trying to be. "Keep an eye on numbers though, and don't let anyone underage or too unruly in, okay. That's the last thing I need tonight."

Cas nodded, "Got it. It's not like I've done the same job for over a year now. Maybe next you can give me a tour of the place."

"Haha." Balthazar said flatly. "Thanks for helping out tonight though. I know how much you hate the bar on weekends." Balthazar was concentrating more on the crowd and the bar than Cas, never one to take even a minute break. That was just another talent he had, carrying a conversation he wasn't too invested in.

"It's not that I hate it…" Cas mumbled.

"Yeah, but I bet you'd much rather be at home right now, right?" Balthazar mused. "Just accept my gratitude with elegance and carry on manning the door, although I may even have to resort to putting you behind the bar if it continues like this." Before Cas could even object to the notion Balthazar was hurrying back to the bar, squeezing past drunks to deal with what seemed to be an escalating issue.

Cas couldn't argue with Balthazar's first point though, it was true. He would prefer to be at home probably reading or studying. The last place he imagined he'd be spending his Friday night was at a bar watching a rock band perform. _I am definitely getting too predictable_, he thought.

He heard the shuffling of feet that announced a new arrival to the bar. He shone the torch up to reveal a young couple. The guy was tall, dressed in a hoodie with a coat over it. His brown, floppy hair that fell in his face had specks of snow in it; Cas could just about make out the large brown eyes that weren't entirely visible since the man was forced to squint at the bright light. Cas lowered the torch just enough to allow the guy to open his eyes fully without being blinded.

The girl next to the kid, who held his hand tightly, looked about the same age, both too young to be in a bar. Her curly blonde hair also had specks of snow in it, a bit more dishevelled than the guys but Cas put that down to the fact that it was a lot longer.

"Have you got ID?" Cas asked after studying them both.

"Um," The guy fished in his pocket for far too long. Cas had seen this trick plenty of times; don't say anything and waste his time so he'd give up or maybe he'd play the whole "I must've left it at home" act. It was always either this or act overly confident and threaten to act out.

"Sorry kid but I can't let you in if you're under 21." Cas said with a sympathetic smile.

The young couple shared a distressed look; obviously this had been their only plan for tonight. The guy looked back at Cas, he opened his mouth to say something but closed it again to smile widely at someone who was approaching.

Cas flipped the torch round to try to track the movement but once he settled it, all he could see was sparkling green eyes. He moved the torch again to see that Dean had an arm wrapped around the young man's shoulder.

"Sammy!" Dean chimed.

"Hey, Dean, sorry we're late. Did we miss it?" The guy, Sammy, asked still pretty distressed.

"Yeah, but it's fine. It went the same as usual so it's not like you really missed anything." He smiled reassuringly, ridding any guilt that Sam had. "Come on, I'll tell you how it went over a drink." Dean nodded at the girl in acknowledgement. "Same as usual Jess?"

The girl nodded but seemed stiff and nervous, glancing at Cas who was still watching them.

Cas coughed, his own nerves rising in Dean's presence. "No one under 21's allowed in the bar sorry." He tried his hardest not to sound uptight or whiny; as first impressions went, this wasn't the greatest.

"Ah, come on man." Dean slapped Cas lightly on his shoulder. His hands sturdy and strong, his thumb lay on the top of his shoulder and Cas shuddered at the contact. Dean mustn't have noticed, and if he had he didn't make anything of it, he just continued grinning. His grin was just as charismatic as it had been on stage, his teeth gleaming despite the dim lights. "I'll keep an eye on them and I promise that I won't let them drink anything alcoholic." He moved the hand that wasn't on Cas' shoulder and placed it to his chest. "Hand on heart."

Before he realised it, Cas was nodding and Sam and Jess shuffled past behind Dean toward the already crowded bar. He barely acknowledged them, too mesmerised by Dean's eyes that were locked on his.

"Thanks," Dean's smile made Cas forget about the freezing night air. "You should join us." Dean's voice was slightly lower and he seemed almost reluctant to break the contact.

It took a few moments and even more self-reproaching thoughts before Cas realised he had to reply. "Um, I'm working sorry." Cas stammered.

Dean nodded, "Right, of course. When do you finish?"

Cas checked his watch, 11:35. "Well, no one usually turns up after twelve, so…"

"Great, I'll meet you at the bar at midnight." Dean smiled and began to follow Sam and Jess' path, but he span around quickly and shouted over the crowd. "What do you drink?"

"Uh, beer?" Cas replied shakily, hoping that he sounded cool and confident rather than the complete nervous wreck that he currently was.

"A classic, got it." Dean grinned once more, his eyes glancing appreciatively over Cas before he disappeared into the crowd.

If Cas had felt giddy before about the possible momentary eye contact when Dean was on stage, the proposed drink made it very difficult not to explode with excitement. His stomach knitted and any traces of jealousy had been washed away by the sweet sound of Dean's words, better than any song he could have played tonight. His heart beat faster with every passing minute; as if it were counting down to midnight when it would either explode or simply continue beating. He wasn't quite sure yet. He struggled to sit still and concentrate on his job, it didn't matter though.

And neither did the obnoxious Frat brothers who pushed past on their way out, mumbling their confessions of love to Cas- the standard Saturday night stuff that he hated- too drunk to even make it until closing. Even when he noticed the girl who had clung to Dean's side the instant he returned did not rile him; for she did not receive the same impossibly wide grin he had, she did not receive the side long glances Dean threw his way leading up to midnight. In fact Dean barely engaged with her, his eyes kept moving from the clock to Cas; his lips curling every time Cas caught his glances.

AN: This is my first story in a while and my first attempt at romance and AUs. I'm hoping to continue it soon but have an insanely busy year coming up (A levels and a job) so sorry for missed updates or short chapters. I just wanted to get something posted before the end of the year (I'm definitely cutting it close). I hope you enjoy the story and have a great new year. Title taken from Rolling Stone by Passenger.


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